MacNaughton scores in stoppage time and St. Louis earns No. 3 seed in playoffs with 1-0 win

Lukas MacNaughton scored in second-half stoppage time and St. Louis City secured the No. 3 seed in the MLS Cup playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo

ByThe Associated Press

November 7, 2026, 10:01 PM

HOUSTON -- HOUSTON (AP) — Lukas MacNaughton scored in second-half stoppage time and St. Louis City secured the No. 3 seed in the MLS Cup playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo on Saturday.

St. Louis (15-10-9) earned home-field advantage for round one of the playoffs.

Houston (14-11-9) entered tied with St. Louis in the Western Conference, with the Dynamo sitting fifth on tiebreakers. The Dynamo had avoided defeat in 15 of their previous 19 matches since returning from the World Cup break.

Alexandru Mățan started the goal-scoring sequence by racing down the right side on a breakaway, cutting back a defender and finding a trailing MacNaughton for a one-time finish.

The goal denied Houston of setting a single-season club record for clean sheets in a season.

St. Louis: Plays No. 6 seed LAFC in a best-of-three series.

Houston: Takes on No. 4 seed San Jose.